Greece has ordered eight H215 aircraft from Airbus Helicopters to support wildfire prevention operations. The contract was made under a “government-owned contractor-operated” model, which will see Airbus work with H215 firefighting operators Airtelis and SAF Helicopteres.
Backed by two European funds and aligned with the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection’s Aegis program, Panagiotis Stampoulidis, deputy CEO of Growthfund, said the deal will enhance Greece’s civil protection mechanism with modern equipment. He also acknowledged the quick action of the fund’s project preparation team, emphasizing that this was done without sacrificing transparency and efficiency. Growthfund serves as Greece’s national fund.
The H215 multirole helicopter is part of the Super Puma product line. It has a 4-axis autopilot that enables firefighting even at night, a range of about 540 NM and an operating time of over 2 hours. It can transport 19 firefighters.
“Airbus Helicopters has been a long-standing provider of helicopters for essential missions in the country and together with our GO-OC partners, we are sure that the H215 will be a vital and reliable asset,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even.
Greece is among the users of the Airbus H215 Super Puma helicopters, with two operated by the Hellenic Fire Brigade and 22 aircraft maintained by the Hellenic Air Force.